The present invention relates to the fashioning of extensions on ammunition magazines and more particularly to pull-tab and loop handle extensions that are positioned on the floor end of ammunition magazines by either replacing the floor plate, modifying the floor plate or extending the side magazine walls in order to aid with both the extraction of said ammunition magazine from ammunition pouches and the insertion into a weapon.
The use of loops to aid in the removal of ammunition magazines from a storage compartment is known in the prior art. Likewise, the use of handle attachments or tabs or other extensions to carry ammunition magazines and other objects is also known. These attachments and modifications, while suitable for their individual purposes, are not as suitable for the purpose of this invention, namely providing an extension that is of one piece with an ammunition magazine or with the floor plate of said magazine for the purpose of extraction of said magazine from ammunition pouches worn on the user. For example, the current practice of forming duct tape tabs and cord loops on ammunition magazines; magazine grips by Magpul Industries Corporation; GLOCK grip enhancers by PIERCE GRIP; U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,937 to Andrea; U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,962 to Musgrave; U.S. Pat. No. 3,000,527 to Jennings, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 2,825,991 to Stadelmann; U.S. Pat. No. 2,205,967 to Wise; U.S. Pat. No. 1,797,951 to Gaidos; U.S. Pat. No. 1,596,076 to Clancy; U.S. Pat. No. 1,245,499 to Orme And U.S. Pat. No. D-33,384 to Thorn are all illustrative of the prior art.
Currently, in the field, soldiers use either loops of parachute cord attached to ammunition magazines by duct tape or they form tabs by folding duct tape over the butt end of their ammunition magazines. The loops and tabs aid soldiers in the extraction of said magazines from ammunition pouches carried on the user. However, the duct tape tends to wear and often needs replaced. The duct tape also leaves a sticky residue when removed and provides no other benefit other than the increased friction or fastening a pull loop to the ammunition magazine. Soldiers have also extracted the inside portion of a length of parachute cord, leaving the casing, tied said casing together and positioned the formed loop so that it encircles the floor plate of an ammunition magazine before they replaced said floor plate, with the loop, in the magazine. Thus they have formed a loop, extending from the bottom of the magazine.
Magazine grips are thermoplastic sleeve and handle combinations which fit on the floor end of ammunition magazines. When the handle is pulled, the sleeve grips the magazine and enables the user to extract the ammunition magazine from an ammunition pouch. The handle may take any shape, though loops and tabs are most common.
PIERCE GRIP provides grip enhancers for GLOCK brand handguns. These grip enhancers replace the floor plate of GLOCK handgun magazines and are thicker than said floor plates, thus providing, with the handle, a larger gripping surface than with the standard floor plate and handle. They are often color coded to reflect the type of ammunition used in a particular magazine.
An insulating shell and carrier for a bottle in which the shell is formed of an insulating material. The shell has a main body section, with an opening into which the bottle fits, and an integral handle. The handle is a loop that the user may grasp to hold the bottle while pouring the liquid or may otherwise use to carry the bottle. The shell is preferably made out of a flat sheet of material, cut to the desired shape and size and joined at the edges to form a configuration matching the bottle.
A cartridge magazine hanger adapted for quick removal of a magazine therefrom using only one hand. The magazine is supported by engagement of at least one of its feed lips with a support on the hanger. The hanger is equipped with loops that may be used to attach the hanger to any structure, vehicle, a person""s clothing or even the weapon itself The hanger also covers the feed mouth of the magazine to protect the ammunition from damage and prevent the entry of extraneous matter into the magazine.
This invention is a handle for containers, particularly glass milk containers. The handle is made of an elastomeric material comprising a band and finger grip potions. When warmed, the band portion slips over the rim of a glass milk container. When cooled, the band portion of the handle is not elastic enough to allow the container rim to slip out, thus allowing the user to carry the container using the finger grip portion of the handle.
This arrangement is for medium caliber guns (20-40 mm caliber). The arrangement is essentially a box with one side open to allow for loading ammunition into the magazine. The top of this arrangement features a detachable metal loop to allow the user to extract the arrangement from an ammunition chest.
Magazine designed to increase capacity of a rifle and relating the ammunition in a manner that automatically feeds ammunition through the rifle. A loop is provided on the butt and of the magazine so that it may be attached to the user""s clothing or other device.
Magazine designed to expedite reloading when the magazine is empty. To this end, the magazine uses a retractable sliding plate to allow access to the interior of the magazine and to depress the follower plate, allowing ammunition to be loaded into the magazine. Attached to the sliding plate is a metal finger loop, allowing the user to pull the sliding and follower plates down.
This bottle carrier is a single elongated strip of flexible material designed to accommodate assorted sizes of bottles. The strip accomplishes its purpose by means of two longitudinally extending slits cut in the strip. Using these slits, the strip may be looped around the neck of the bottle, under the rim. The free ends are then threaded through the slits and brought together to form a carrying loop.
This magazine is designed to aid in the compression of the follower spring and, thus, aid in reloading the magazine. The invention is a magazine with its side designed to accommodate the insertion of a pin. The pin is then used to compress the follower spring by simply squeezing the user""s fingers, which are placed over the pin, towards the user""s thumb, placed on the underside of the magazine. A loop, which is not necessary for the invention, is nonetheless displayed in the drawings of this invention on the butt end of the magazine. Due to its size relative to the magazine, it can be presumed to be used for standard attachment purposes.
This simple design comprises of two bands of material. One forms an ellipse and the other forms a carrying loop with its ends attached to the elongated sides of the ellipse. The gun is presumably held in place by a small curved member placed on the ellipse.
While the aforementioned inventions accomplish their individual objectives, they do not describe an integral extension that is used primarily for the extraction of ammunition magazines from ammunition pouches, as evidenced by the duct tape modifications used in the field. Handle and loop attachments used in the prior art are mainly used for affixing an ammunition magazine to other objects, such as clothing or vehicles, or to carry bottles. In one of the two cases where handle attachments are used for extraction, the handle is a simple metal wire forming a loop and is not adapted for use in the various positions a user may wear an ammunition pouch. There are also disadvantages with the duct tape modifications, particularly regarding removal and in the amount of slack in a loop of parachute cord. While the PIERCE GRIP grip enhancer discloses replacement of the floor plate, the enhancer is designed for improving the grip a user has on his gun, not the ammunition magazine, and does not disclose any type of handle extension. Magazine grips, by Magpul Industries Corporation, disclose a handle which is attached to an external sleeve, not an integral handle. In this respect, the extensions according to the present invention depart substantially from the usual designs in the prior art. In doing so, this invention provides integral extensions that are primarily designed for the purpose of aiding the extraction of ammunition magazines from pouches worn on the user.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of attachments and grip extensions, this invention provides extensions for use on the base of ammunition magazines. As such, the present invention""s general purpose is to provide a new and improved integral extensions that will aid in the extraction of ammunition magazines from pouches worn on the user.
To attain this, the invention has three individual embodiments. The first embodiment essentially comprises a replacement floor plate, typically molded of a hard plastic or metal, with a tab or loop extending from the replacement floor plate, typically molded from a more resilient plastic or thermoplastic compound. The product would be manufactured by using a bifurcated molding process where the floor plate portion would be molded first and the extension would be molded onto the floor plate in a second molding step. Alternatively, the floor plate may be molded or fashioned with at least one anchoring hole and the handle then either injection molded onto the floor plate or pre-molded with at least one anchoring means and mechanically coupled to the floor plate. The second embodiment would require retrofitting all existing floor plates with at least one anchoring hole along the center of their elongated sides or boring a plurality of holes through a floor plate and either injection molding or mechanically coupling a handle onto the floor plate. In the third embodiment, a plastic magazine would be molded with a resilient loop or tab on its base end or a handle may be attached to the base end by mechanical, ultrasonic welding, or adhesive means.
These designs have numerous advantages over the prior art. First, the extensions are integral with the magazine and have a lower incidence of grip failure. Second, the first two embodiments are easily replaceable if and when necessary. Third, the standard means of ejection causes the butt end of the magazine to impact the ground. The molded handle portion acts as a shock absorber for the magazine when it is ejected from the rifle and reduces impact damage to the magazine. Fourth, the extensions abut against the lid of the pouch. This abutment effectively anchors the magazine against the pouch lid and reduces noise caused by the rattling of magazines against pouch when the user is moving.
The more important features of the invention have thus been outlined in order that the more detailed description that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may better be appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claims that follow.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide integral extensions for use on ammunition magazines to aid in their extraction from ammunition pouches.
It is another object of the invention to provide extensions that will accommodate users by being adaptable to individual styles of extraction, locations of the pouch on the user, and location of the rifle""s ammunition chamber.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide extensions that are easily removed for replacement.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide extensions that will absorb some of the shock of impact when an ammunition magazine is ejected from a rifle.
It is a further object of the invention to provide extensions that will deaden noise caused by rattling of ammunition magazines in the ammunition pouch
It is a still further object of the invention to provide extensions, the manufacture of which is readily adaptable to create such attachments for different sizes and calibers of hand held weapons.
It is an even further object of the invention to provide extensions that are adaptable towards the thickness of a user""s fingers or use of gloves.
Lastly, it is an object of the invention to provide extensions that are easy and economical to manufacture so as to keep cost to the consuming public reasonable.
Other objects of this invention will appear from the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.